Speedway council selects engineering firms, authorizes up to $300,000 to secure construction inspection services

The Town of Speedway Town Council on April 28 approved the selection of engineering firms to provide construction inspection services for the 20 Fifth Street reconstruction and the Crawfordsville Road pedestrian improvement project, and authorized the town manager to negotiate contracts with a combined not-to-exceed amount of $300,000.

Grant Kleinheinz, town manager, said the town received five responses to an RFP and that staff recommended Versus Engineering for the 20 Fifth Street project and American StructurePoint for the Crawfordsville Road project. "If you approve our recommendation this evening, we would like you to direct me as town manager to execute those contracts and negotiate that fee," Kleinheinz told the council. He estimated that inspection fees would likely range "anywhere from 200 to 275,000 depending on which of the projects it is." He said the MPO will pay about half of the Crawfordsville Road inspection.

Council members discussed adding a cap to the authorization; the motion included authority for Kleinheinz to negotiate and set a not-to-exceed amount of $300,000. Members emphasized the importance of construction inspection for buried work such as base stone and referenced past projects where completion bonds and rework were required.

The council voted 5-0 to approve the selections and authorize the manager to negotiate contracts not to exceed $300,000. Kleinheinz said staff plans to issue notices to proceed in June so work can start after the race, and that the high school-related 20 Fifth Street work likely will begin in July to avoid conflict with school activities.